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The Big Sporting Read – People’s Choice

This summer, we’ve been celebrating a unique summer of sport through the Big Sporting Read in partnership with BBC Arts. From the Euros in Germany to the Paralympics in Paris, we have seen countless moments of inspiration and libraries across the UK have been joining in the fun with the Big Sporting Read.

To mark the end of the summer, we asked you to send us your sporting read recommendations and tell us your 2024 sporting highlights. You were inspired by the wonderful Olympic athletes from Team GB, including Keely Hodgkinson as she stormed to a gold medal in the Women’s 800m Final, Alex Yee who stole the gold medal right at the end of the Men’s Triathlon, and the great Andy Murray’s final swansong. Other readers loved the emotion of Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix and Lois Toulson’s bronze medal in the diving, as well as the incredible tension of Toby Roberts’ gold in sports climbing.

Away from Team GB there was one person no one could take their eyes off; Simone Biles. Her journey to Paris, followed by the performance of a lifetime was hard to beat. For some however, it was the underdog who made their moment, with Arshad Nadeem not only being the first Pakistani to qualify for the final of any track and field event in Olympic history, but to go on to win gold in the men’s javelin while setting a new Olympic record.

In the Paralympics, we saw a number of readers tell us how much they had enjoyed all of the sports and the celebratory Games that Paris hosted. One reader in particular spoke about their experience of seeing Will Bayley in person, as he picked up another silver medal to go towards his stunning tally across four Paralympic Games.

Away from the athletics, highlights included seeing Gareth Southgate’s England team make it to another European Championship Final, the battle for first place between Xander Schauffele and Justin Rose in the final round of the 2024 Open, and an iconic Wimbledon in the gorgeous summer sun.

Your Recommendations

Unique by Dame Kelly Holmes

Olympic hero and national treasure Dame Kelly Holmes tells the story of her journey. From hiding her sexuality as a young soldier at a time when being gay in the military was illegal, to her fears of being outed as she stood on the podium at the Athens Olympics, the games which catapulted her to fame as a double-gold medallist. A truly inspirational Olympic read.

Fringes by Ben Mercer

This is a first-hand account of what life is like in the lower reaches of professional sport – where your employment status is as precarious as your health and barely anyone will know your name. If you’ve wanted to know what life is really like as a professional athlete, on the Fringes, away from the glitz and glamour of the international game then look no further.

Red or Dead by David Peace

Red or Dead is the story of the rise of Liverpool Football Club and Bill Shankly. And the story of the retirement of Bill Shankly. Of one man and his work. And of the man after that work. A man in two halves. Home and away. Red or dead.

The Tour by Simon Wilde

An England cricket tour is a unique phenomenon, with its own pressures, challenges and remarkable highlights. In The Tour, Simon Wilde examines the delicate chemistry that makes for a successful tour and why others disintegrate so badly.

A Boy in the Water by Tom Gregory

In 1988, 11-year-old Gregory set a record that will never be broken. His book recalls the agonising swim and his charismatic coach. This true autobiographical story of perseverance and achievement will not fail to warm your heart.

Bring Me My Chariot of Fire by Hugh C. Shields

This book tells the story of two of Great Britain’s finest Olympic athletes, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. Their achievements at the 1924 Paris Olympics, immortalised in the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, are the stuff of legend. They both won Olympic gold medals and became heroes of the day. But they also went on to lead fascinating lives after they retired from running.

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel

All her life, Alison Bechdel has searched for an elusive secret…the secret to superhuman strength. She has looked for it in her favourite books, and most obsessively, in her lifelong passion for exercise. But as she gets older, her body isn’t getting any stronger. In her third graphic novel, Bechdel has written a deeply layered, personal story about selfhood, self-sabotage, mortality, addiction, bliss, wonder, and her lifelong passion for exercise.

Wimbledon: A Personal History by Sue Barker

From her teenage years, Sue Barker hasn’t missed a single Wimbledon. She first appeared as a junior, aged 15, and has become a semi-finalist and Grand-Slam winner ranked No.3 in the world, as a broadcaster leading the BBC coverage for thirty years and for the first time, and as a fan in 2023. Now she returns as a storyteller uncovering her relationship with the iconic Championship.

The Booklist

The Big Sporting Read is a collaboration between national charity The Reading Agency and BBC Arts, aiming to use the power of sport to inspire readers across the UK – highlighting the links between sporting excellence, reading, health and wellbeing. The Big Sporting Read list was crowdsourced by The Reading Agency and the final list of 25 sporting titles was compiled by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers. It showcases a rich mix of fiction and non-fiction aimed at adults.

The Reading Agency

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